The Feast of the Assumption, possibly the oldest celebration of the Virgin Mary, is rooted in the Christian tradition, supported by magisterial teaching and defined as one of four Marian dogmas. As ancient as this belief is, however, 2025 marked only the 75th anniversary of the Assumption being declared a Catholic dogma.
Very Rev Jon Plavcan explained The Assumption of Mary is the Catholic dogma stating that at the end of her earthly life, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul. Officially defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950, it means Mary did not wait until the end of time for her body to join her soul in glory.
“Because Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, it was fitting that her body would not experience the decay of sin,” he said. “Mary is the symbol of hope and a promise of what God intends for all faithful at the final resurrection of the body.”
Like other Holy Days, Catholics honor the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15 by participating in the Mass and resting from unnecessary heavy or servile work. This pause helps focus minds on God, family and spiritual reflection instead of ordinary business.
Father Plavcan, pastor of St. Patrick in Chesterton, shared that he personally feels close to the Blessed Virgin Mary during times of deep personal quiet, sudden grief or quiet routine prayer like the Rosary.
He said, “Her presence is commonly experienced as a gentle, maternal comfort when facing major life fears or transitions.”
Since the earliest centuries of Christianity, the belief that Mary was taken up to heaven with both her body and her soul has been part of the teaching of the Catholic Church. As Christians celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption, Father Lourdu Pasala, pastor of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in New Chicago, explained that Mary was conceived without original sin.
“God made and created her without sin – immaculate,” he said. “God chose her to be the mother of the Son of God; and for this purpose she was created without sin. When she completed her mission on Earth, she was taken up to heaven.”
To honor this truth (of the Assumption), Father Pasala said. “Catholics think of it as an obligation. Both the Immaculate Conception and Assumption are days of obligation within the Catholic Church.
“We should look at these not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to honor Mother Mary,” he stated. “It is the greatest honor we could give to celebrate her, and that’s how we should look at it rather than as an obligation to fulfill.”
While the feast of the Assumption is typically a holy day of obligation, the feast day falls on a Saturday this year which lifts the obligation to attend Mass according to the guidance of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Father Pasala noted that Mary accompanied her son until the end of his life, from birth until his ascension, and when her mission was completed, she was taken away to heaven. He said that because of her relationship with the Son of God, she becomes a partner in salvation. When she died, God took her to heaven.
“Every mother is a role model to their children. In a broader sense, Mother Mary is also a role model to us,” Father Pasala said. “She gave consent to the Word of God by saying, ‘Yes, thy will be done.’ She surrenders herself totally to God. So in this action, Mother Mary teaches us to be humble and offer ourselves to God. That is one of the greatest qualities: humbling oneself.”
Father Pasala also added that Mary continued to follow God's will. She accompanied her son from death to resurrection, and she was with the apostles praying together to her son, to God.
“That is another great quality, where Mother teaches children to also pray to the Lord, surrendering oneself,” he said. “Those are the qualities we should take from our Mother, to pray for everybody.”
From morning till evening, around his house, Father Pasala passes several statues reminding him that Mother Mary is always with him. Even his own name, Lourdu, is a reminder of the apparition at Lourdes, France.
“Who I am today is because of Mother Mary,” he said. “It brings me joy to call upon her, and I entrust myself to her. She's always protecting and guiding.”
Prayer to Mary, Assumed into Heaven
O Immaculate Mary, Assumed into heaven,
you who are most blessed in the vision of God:
of God the Father who exalted you among all creatures,
of God the Son who willed that you bear Him as your Son and that you should be His Mother,
of God the Holy Spirit who accomplished the human conception of the Savior in you.
O Mary, most pure
O Mary, most sweet and beautiful
O Mary, strong and thoughtful woman
O Mary, poor and sorrowful
O Mary, virgin and mother
woman very human like Eve, more than Eve.
You are near to God by your grace and by your privileges
in your mysteries
in your mission, in your glory.
O Mary, assumed into the glory of Christ
in the complete and transfigured perfection of our human nature.
O Mary, gate of heaven
mirror of divine light
ark of the Covenant between God and mankind,
let our souls fly after you
let them fly long your radiant path,
transported by a hope that the world does not contain eternal beatitude.
Comfort us from heaven, O merciful Mother,
and guide us along your ways of purity and hope
till the day of that blessed meeting with you
and with your divine Son
our Savior, Jesus. Amen!
(Saint Paul VI/Vatican News)
Caption: The reception of Mary into heaven is depicted in the center section of a rose window at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Providence, R.I. The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Aug. 15, celebrates the belief that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her life. (OSV News photo/Crosiers)
